Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

Anders Warming to replace Gert Hildebrand as Design Director at Mini

Mini is set to get a new Design Director at the start of the new year. Gert Volker Hildebrand will pass the reigns to current Head of Exterior Design at BMW Cars, Anders Warming, the German automaker announced today. Gert Hildebrand has overseen the entire development and evolution of the Mini range since the introduction of the 'new' Mini, designed by Frank Stephenson in 2000.

Kia Track'ster concept

The Kia Track'ster concept has been unveiled at the 2012 Chicago International Auto Show. Beneath the racetrack makeup, the three-door crossover concept is a heavy hint at the next-generation Soul. The Track'ster was designed in Kia's design studio in Irvine, California under the direction of Tom Kearns, Chief Designer for Kia America.

CES: Cranking up Harman's QuantumLogic 3D surround-sound system

Yesterday we reported how Audi was readying a lavish 3D sound experience with 23 speakers and 1,400 watts of goosebump-inducing audio power. Not to be outdone, Harman had been quietly developing a system of its own: Quantum Logic 3D brings together 25 speakers and more than 2,000 watts of Tubthumping power to a new car near you, like driving inside Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. Sitting inside the demonstration BMW 7-Series that Harman painstakingly lifted into the Studio at the Palms, Global Audio Engineering vice president Phil Muzio explained, "great music is delivered in stereo, yet our consumer research indicates that people enjoy surround sound." QuantumLogic 3D's surround sound expands beyond the boundaries of the vehicle's cabin, providing "a sense of detail and spatial placement that you don't get in stereo." Five height component speakers mounted in the corners of the headliner, and above the rearview mirror, elevates audio beyond the confines of the roof, "almost like you're in a convertible," said Muzio.